NOEL CHANCE stood engulfed as Mr Mulligan was led away and said: "I've struggled for years but this proves there must be a God." The Dublin born trainer's shocked happiness was understandable considering the horse he once dismissed as a great orange thing with spots had just galloped the finest chasers into the ground to win jump racing's greatest prize, the Gold Cup.
Amid all the hype about the three Irish trained hopes, it had been easy to ignore the claims of Mr Mulligan who had flopped and then fallen in his only two races of the season. But when it counted, the giant, angular chestnut confounded his looks and his detractors.
And he did it the hard way in a race that got to the bottom of most of his opponents. Mr Mulligan had a sustained duel for the lead with Dublin Flyer from the start, and on the last circuit it was always going to be Dublin Flyer who cracked first.
That left a formidable array of talent still lurking behind, however, but while Mr Mulligan may have had God on his side, he also had Tony McCoy on his back. The champion jockey had ridden like a minor deity to win on Make A Stand on Tuesday, but, in becoming the eighth jockey to complete the Champion Hurdle Gold Cup double, he seemed to rise onto yet another level.
The challenge from behind eventually arrived, but, sadly, did not contain either Imperial Call the well backed favourite, or the people's choice, Danoli.
Conor O'Dwyer pulled up the 1996 Gold Cup winner after the sixth last and reported: "He was never going on the downhill parts and I was always niggling at him. I shouldn't have even jumped the last ditch on him. A horse needs a proper preparation to win this race and we haven't had it."
Danoli's suspect jumping was sound until he clouted the first downhill fence and after that he was never travelling. He was a spent force at the top of the hill and was only being hunted home when he fell at the second last.
"He was never really travelling and he was worn down gradually when they upped the pace on the second circuit," said a disappointed Tommy Treacy.
Dorans Pride however overcame his aversion to the ground and hung in dangerously as Mr Mulligan turned for home. The outsider, Barton Bank, was also in contention, but it was the grey form of One Man, who Richard Dunwoody had spirited from the rear, that looked the greatest danger.
Once again appearances deceived as One Man curled up like a kitten when faced with the final hill. Mr Mulligan, though, relished the final test and galloped home remorselessly to beat Barton Bank by nine lengths, with Dorans Pride an honourable half length back in third.
"The ground was just too fast," said Dorans Pride's jockey, Shane Broderick, but trainer Michael Hourigan took consolation from the effort. "We'd have been closer if it had been soft but I know now I have a horse that can stand in the winner's enclosure one day," Hourigan said.
Chance and McCoy stood in it yesterday, however, and McCoy was thanking his good fortune in being on Mr Mulligan in the first place. "I could have had a few rides in the Gold Cup but it was only in the last two or three days, when the ground was going to be quick, that I was happy to be on the horse. As soon as we met the downhill run and I gave him a smack he picked up and I knew it was going to take a good one to get past him," McCoy said.
The 22 year old has had a meteoric rise to the top but for Chance, 44, the Gold Cup is an unforeseen fulfilment of a life spent with horses. Originally from Dublin's North Circular Road, Chance's course to glory has seen him travel from Sydney, as a stable lad, to stints as a trainer at the Phoenix Park and on the Curragh before arriving in Lambourn two years ago to train for Mr Mulligan's owner Michael Worcester.
"It took me 20 years to train 100 winners in Ireland, but this shows there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm delighted for this horse, he is so brave. When Michael (Worcester) first showed him to me I thought he was just a great orange thing with spots, so to have him turn out like he has is just fantastic," the trainer smiled.
Chance was happy to thank God, but in truth God may have owed him. When he trained in the Phoenix Park, Chance's gallops had been ruined by the Board of Works hammering in stakes to corral the one million strong crowd there during the papal visit.
"The Board of Works never filled in the holes and I had to leave the Phoenix Park," he said with a laugh. God may move in mysterious ways, but the only ways Mr Mulligan went yesterday was to the top.
. Richard Hughes will miss the Dubai World Cup meeting later this month after picking up his second suspension in two days at the Cheltenham Festival.
Hughes was found guilty of marking and injuring Paddy's Return, third home in - the Bonusprint Stayers' Hurdle, and banned for four days (March 29th, 31st and April 1st-2nd).
He was also in hot water with the stewards on Wednesday when stood down for five days (March 21st-26th) after being found guilty of using his stick with unreasonable force aboard Daraydan in the Royal SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle.
Hughes will miss the ride aboard Gay Kelleway's Sorbie Tower in the Dubai Duty Free and said: "It's unbelievable and I am very disappointed with the stewards' decision as the horse already has his summer coat and was going to mark in any case.
. Tony McCoy, successful in both the Gold Cup and the Champion Hurdle, also won the London Clubs Charity Trophy for the leading rider of the Cheltenham meeting. He ended the fixture with three winners, the same number as Richard Dunwoody, but his three second places, compared to none for Dunwoody, were enough to secure the prize. Jamie Osborne, who rode two winners, finished third.
. The paid attendance for the final day of the Festival was 59,488, an increase of 6,564 on 12 months ago, bringing the meeting total to 143,774."In terms of general atmosphere, I think it has been as happy as I can ever remember," said Edward Gillespie, course managing director.
